International Data Exchange and the Application of Informatics Technology - Critical Research Needs

I N T E R N A T I O N A L DATA EXCHANGE AND T H E A P P L I C A T I O N O F INPOFU4ATICS TECHNOLOGY-

C R I T I C A L RESEARCH N E E D S

D. Penniman A. Butrimenko

J. Page

September 1 9 7 8

Research Memoranda are interim reports on research being conducted by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, and as such receive only limited scientific review. Views or opinions contained herein do not necessarily represent those o f the Institute or of the National Member Organizations supporting the Institute.

Copyright @ 1978 IIASA

All ' hts reserved. No part of this publication may be

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repro uced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Preface

International data communication networks are a reality.

Despite the fact that national policies on data communication activities are still evolving, international links are already being established which provide the potential for massive data exchange activities. But will this potential be realized? And, if it is, will the data exchange activities benefit the citizens of the nations involved, or will data exchange via computer

communication systems only further separate countries and peoples of different technological levels, political ideologies, and so- cial structures? There are areas such as health care, environ- mental monitoring, and food resource supply where international data exchange on a timely and accurate basis could be of great benefit. There are, at the same time, areas where such exchange could be used for the economic or political ends of one country or organization. While the evolving technology is a strong driv- ing force for establishing international data exchange activities, there is a need for a systematic review of the full range of prob- lems and pitfalls of this area.

In 1977 the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) initiated an exploratory study of the po- tential for international data exchange activities and their incorporation of the latest in computer networking technology.

(See A. Butrimenko, "International System for Scientific Data Exchange," Telecommunications Policy, March 1977, pp. 163-4 for further description of IIASA's interest in this area.) The study was exploratory in that major areas of concern were to be identified and areas of particular interest were to be selected f ~ r future study by IIASA or other organizations concerned with international data exchange.

While the evolving networking technology was one of the driv- ing factors in initiating this study, it was apparent that non- technical factors were of equal concern in determining the condi- tions conducive to successful international data exchange activi- ties. Consequently, from the outset of the study a broad perspec- tive was incorporated whichsttemptedto embrace all components or

f a c t o r s i n c l u d i n g l e g a l , p o l i t i c a l , r e g u l a t o r y , economic and s o c i a l a s w e l l a s t e c h n i c a l .

The p r e l i m i n a r y s t u d y was d e s i g n e d t o r e s u l t i n a c l e a r s e t o f recommendations f o r f u t u r e work a t IIASA i n t h e a r e a o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e . I n a d d i t i o n , a r e a s o f r e - s e a r c h n o t t o be u n d e r t a k e n a t IIASA b u t t o b e promoted w i t h i n n a t i o n a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s were t o b e c l e a r l y s p e c i f i e d . To a c c o m p l i s h t h e s e g o a l s a s e l e c t g r o u p of n i n e t e e n i n d i - v i d u a l s ( r e p r e s e n t i n g n i n e d i f f e r e n t c o u n t r i e s a s w e l l a s UNESCO) was o r g a n i z e d . T h i s g r o u p met i n T o r o n t o i n August o f 1 9 7 7 f o r a one-day workshop t o p r e p a r e a l i s t o f c r i t i c a l r e s e a r c h i s s u e s . P a r t i c i p a n t s w e r e t h e n q u e r i e d v i a a f o l l o w - up m a i l e d q u e s t i o n n a i r e i n o r d e r t o r a n k t h e s e i s s u e s . I n ad- d i t i o n , a g e n e r a l c a t e g o r i z a t i o n o f r e s e a r c h a r e a s was de- v e l o p e d a t t h e workshop and t h e follow-up q u e s t i o n n a i r e p r o - v i d e d an o p p o r t u n i t y f o r t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s t o i n d i c a t e r e l a - t i v e e m p h a s i s which e a c h c a t e g o r y s h o u l d r e c e i v e i n t e r m s o f r e s e a r c h f u n d i n g i n t h e l o n g t e r m .

The a u t h o r s hope t h a t t h e r e s u l t s o f t h i s p r e l i m i n a r y IIASA p r 3 j e c t p r e s e n t e d h e r e w i l l s t i m u l a t e r e s e a r c h a t IIASA and i n f l u e n c e t h e d i r e c t i o n s o f IIASA and o t h e r i n s t i t u t i o n s i n t h e i r f u t u r e p r o j e c t s r e l a t e d t o i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a

exchange.

David Penniman

Workshop M o d e r a t o r and Task Leader

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Data Exchange Task

Computer S c i e n c e Group

I n t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e f o r A p p l i e d Systems A n a l y s i s Laxenburg, A u s t r i a

Executive Summary

During 1 9 7 7 the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) conducted a preliminary study con- cerned with the role of inforpatics in the development of international data exchange activities. The purpose of this preliminary study was to determine the critical research is- sues associated with such exchange activities and the subset of these issues appropriate for further investigation by IIASA. The study, while concerned primarily with the role of informatics technology in exchange efforts, was not li- mited in perspective to technological issues.

The method used in conducting this study involved an expert panel convened for a one-day workshop in Toronto in August, 1 9 7 7 to generate a preliminary list of research is- sues. Following the workshop a mailed questionnaire to the participants provided quantitative evaluation of the issues with respect to overall urgency and specific appropriateness

for further IIASA research. In addition, the panel sugges- ted five broad areas of research which were further evalu- ated for long-term research needs.

The major results of this quantitative evaluation in- dicated that eleven issues were of high urgency, Further screening provided eight of those that were appropriate for IIASA research (see Tables 2 and 3 of Chapter 11). The fi- nal screening resulted in two issues which were further de- veloped into brief research proposals (see Chapter 111).

These issues were:

o Identification of the major barriers to exchange programs (in terms of magnitude) of the barrier and also type of exchange activities affected

o Study of the organization structures most appropriate for international data exchange

programs and determination of application dependency of these structures.

In addition, a quantitative rating of five general areas of research was provided indicating the panel's view of long-term research needs in international data exchange.

The following ratings represent recommended relative allocation of research resources for each of the areas:

96 User Analysis 2 5 User Training 1 2 Economic Factors 2 7 Privacy/Security 1 6 Competition/Conflict 2 0

Further details on this evaluation are available in Chapter 11.

The complete list of research issues evaluated (see Ap- pendix C) and particularly the urgent issues not rated highly appropriate for IIASA (including issues with a major focus on d e ~ ~ l ~ p i i i g - ~ ~ i i n t ~ y n c ~ d s and issues dealing with develop- ment of services to meet specific user needs) should provide researchers and policy makers with guidelines for research within their own institutions.

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

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PROBLEM STATEMENT AND APPROACH

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P a r t i c i p a n t s

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P r o c e d u r e

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A p p l i c a t i o n of R e s u l t s

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C R I T I C A L R E S E A R C H N E E D S

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R e s e a r c h A r e a s : A L o n g - T e r m P e r s p e c t i v e

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C r i t i c a l R e s e a r c h I s s u e s : N e a r - T e r m N e e d s

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R e s e a r c h I s s u e s f o r I I A S A

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R e s e a r c h I s s u e s f o r O t h e r O r g a n i z a t i o n s 8 G e n e r a l R e s e a r c h A r e a s V e r s u s S p e c i f i c

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H I G H URGENCY

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CONCLUDING REMARKS

A P P E N D I X A : P O S I T I O N P A P E R P R E P A R E D BY I I A S A

P R I O R T O TORONTO WORKSHOP

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A P P E N D I X B: B I R L I O G R A P E Y O F S E L E C T E D M A T E R I A L F O R T H E A P P L I C A T I O N O F I N F O R M A T I C S T O I?VT'ER-

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N A T I O N A L DATA EXCHANGE B-1

A P P E N D I X C : RESEARCH AREA AND I S S U E R A T I N G

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P R O C E D U R E S AND R E S U L T S C-1

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WORKSHOP E V A L U A T I O N SUMMARY C - 5

A P P E N D I X D: DATA A N A L Y S I S P R O C E D U R E S

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I. PROBLEM STATEMENT AND APPROACH

The aim of the 1 9 7 7 research program on international data exchange activities was to identify the specific re- search questions in this broad area that could usefully be addressed by IIASA in the future. To accomplish this goal a group of individuals representing a wide cross section of academic, private, national, and international organiza- tions was organized for a series of activities including a one-day workshop held in Toronto on 7 August 1 9 7 7 . The group provided extremely useful input both during the workshop and in follow-up correspondence.

The participants came frorr. many orqanizations and count- ries and held varied perspectives of the international data exchange area. They are all involved in one or more of the facets of international data exchange described subseauently in this report. Their roles include that of researchers, managers, academicians, information specialists and members of international agencies.

Prof. H. Andersin Prof. H. Borko

Prof. A. J. Dakin

Mr. J.M. Dethoor,

Mr. W. Dizard Prof. A.S. Douglas

Prof. J.H. van der Hende

Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo, Finland

School of Library and Information Science, University of California, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Director, Office des Syst$mes In- formatiques et Documentaires, UNESCO, Paris, France

U.S. Information Agency, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Department of Statistics, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, England

Gebouw Analytische Scheikunde, Delft, The Netherlands

Mr. G. Jones

Mr. S.E. Jones

Mr. R. Kalman Mr. S. Kassum

Dr. H. Kopetz

Mr. R. Mendelssohn

Prof. E.B. Parker

Mr. M. Robin Dr. P. Robinson

Dr. N. Rozsenich Dr. K. Samuelson

Mr. H. Sarbinowski

Managing Editor, Computer and Elec- tronics Group, Guild.ford, Surrey, England

Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, Research and Planning, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

UNESCO, Paris, France

Manager, Computer Systems, Interna- tional Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

VOEST-Alpine, Linz, Austria

Assistant Commissioner, Systems and Standards, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Institute for Communication Research, Stanford University, Stanford, Cali- fornia, U.S.A.

Institute de Recherche d'Informatique et d'Automatique, Le Chesnay, France Acting Chairman, Interdepartmental Committee, Computer/Communications Secretariat, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Austrian Ministry of Science and Re-

search, Vienna, Austria

Information Processing Informatics, Stockholm University and Royal In- stitute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

Institut fur Datenfernverarbeitung und Gesellschaft fur Plathematik und Datenverarbeitung, Darmstadt, Bundes- republik Deutschland

In addition, the following IIASA staff members partici- pated in the workshop: Dr. A. Butrimenko, Leader, Computer Science Group; Dr. D. Penniman, Research Scholar, Computer Science Group (and workshop moderator); and Mr. J. Page, Consultant, Computer Science Group.

P r o c e d u r e

The o v e r a l l a p p r o a c h o f t h e IIASA s t u d y i n v o l v e d ( 1 ) d e v e l o p - ment and d i s t r i b u t i o n o f p r e l i m i n a r y m a t e r i a l t o t h e v o r k s h o p a t -

t e n d e e s p r i o r t o t h e m e e t i n g , ( 2 ) g e n e r a t i o n o f r e s e a r c h i s s u e s a n d a r e a s o f c o n c e r n a t t h e w o r k s h o p , a n d ( 3 ) f o l l o w - u p r a n k i n g a n d e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e i s s u e s a n d a r e a s . The r a n k i n g p r o c e d u r e i n - v o l v e d a s i n g l e - r o u n d e v a l u a t i o n p r o c e d u r e . The o v e r a l l a p p r o a c h h a s b e e n u s e d i n many s i m i l a r r e s e a r c h p r o g r a m s . An e x c e l l e n t ex- ample i n v o l v i n g t h e e v a l u a t e d c r i t i c a l i s s u e a p p r o a c h was c o n d u c t e d f o r t h e U.S. N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e F o u n d a t i o n i n t h e a r e a o f s c i e n t i f i c a n d t e c h n i c a l i n f o r m a t i o n .

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T h a t s t u d y h a s p r o v i d e d many u s e f u l c o n c e p t s f o r t h e IIASA p r e l i m i n a r y t a s k on i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a ex- c h a n g e and s e r v e d a s a g u i d e f o r p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e f i n a l r e s u l t s .

P r i o r t o t h e IIASAworkshop, a c o n c e p t p a p e r ( s e e A p p e n d i x 2 ) tr7as d i s t r i b u t e d t o a l l p a r t i c i p a n t s . T h i s p a p e r was i n t e n d e d t o p r o - v i d e e a c h p a r t i c i p a n t w i t h a common framework a n d u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e a u t h o r s ' i n i t i a l v i e w o f t h e o v e r a l l a r e a o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e and was b a s e d on work c o n d u c t e d b y IIASA p r e v i o u s l y f o r UNESCO.

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I n a d d i t i o n , a s e l e c t e d b i b l i o g r a p h y (see Appendix B) was p r o v i d e d s h o u l d t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s w i s h t o p u r s u e a p a r t i c u l a r a r e a f u r t h e r b e f o r e t h e m e e t i n g .

On 7 August 1977 t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s w e r e g a t h e r e d i n T o r o n t o f o r a n a l l - d a y s e s s i o n i n which t h e y w e r e a s k e d t o d e v e l o p a l i s t o f r e s e a r c h a b l e q u e s t i o n s which w e r e c r u c i a l t o t h e e x p a n s i o n o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e a c t i v i t i e s . These r e s e a r c h q u e s t i o n s a t t h e b r o a d e s t l e v e l w e r e t e r m e d ' r e s e a r c h i s s u e s ' ( h h i c h c o u l d i n - v o l v e m u l t i p l e q u e s t i o n s 1 , a n d ' c r i t i c a l i s s u e s ' w e r e t h o s e which

someone o r some g r o u p c o n s i d e r e d t o b e c r u c i a l t o t h e f u t u r e sue-

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Freeman, James E. a n d R u b e n s t e i n , A l b e r t H. "The U s e r s a n d U s e s o f S c i e n t i f i c a n d T e c h n i c a l I n f o r m a t i o n : C r i t i c a l R e s e a r c h N e e d s " , p r e p a r e d f o r t h e O f f i c e o f S c i e n c e I n f o r m a t i o n S e r v i c e , N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e F o u n d a t i o n by t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Denver R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e , G r a n t GN-40981, November 1974.

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Penniman, W.D. e t a l . " S t u d y o f t h e U s e o f I n f o r m a t i o n Tech- n o l o g y on P r o b l e m s o f S c i e n t i f i c a n d T e c h n o l o g i c a l C o o p e r a t i o n " , p r e p a r e d f o r t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s E d u c a t i o n a l , S c i e n t i f i c a n d C u l - t u r a l O r g a n i z a t i o n (UNESCO) by t h e Computer S c i e n c e Group. I n - t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e f o r A p p l i e d S y s t e m s A n a l y s i s , A p r i l 1977.

c e s s o f t h e a r e a b e i n g s t u d i e d . I n a d d i t i o n t o a l i s t o f c r i t i c a l i s s u e s , t h e workshop a t t e n d e e s p r o p o s e d a b r o a d e r s e t o f c a t e g o r i e s o r domains o f i n t e r e s t f o r r e s e a r c h w i t h r e s p e c t t o i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a exchange a c t i v i t i e s .

F o l l o w i n g t h e workshop i n T o r o n t o t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s were a s k e d t o r a t e t h e e d i t e d l i s t o f i s s u e s a c c o r d i n g t o urgency and a l s o

a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s f o r f u t u r e 3IASA r e s e a r c h . T h e p a r t i c i p a n t s w e r e a l s o a s k e d t o a l l o c a t e h y p o t h e t i c a l r e s e a r c h r e s o u r c e s a c r o s s t h e g e n e r a l s e t o f r e s e a r c h c a t e g o r i e s t h e y had s u g g e s t e d a t t h e workshop. F i - n a l l y , t h e y were a s k e d t o comment on t h e workshop i t s e l f . The i s - s u e and c a t e g o r y e v a l u a t i o n s were r e t u r n e d by 1 6 o f t h e i n v i t e d workshop p a r t i c i p a n t s . (See Appendix C f o r t h i s m a t e r i a l and a summary o f t h e r e s p o n s e s . )

The r e s u l t i n g r a t e d and r a n k e d i s s u e s and c a t e g o r i e s w e r e f u r t h e r a n a l y z e d t o s e l e c t i s s u e s f o r f u t u r e a t t e n t i o n by IIASA and a l s o i s s u e s which s h o u l d b e promoted a s r e s e a r c h t o p i c s f o r o t h e r i n s t i t u t i o n s . The m e t h o d s o f d a t a a n a l y s i s a r e d e s c r i b e d i n Appendix D . F i n a l l y , f o r t h e i s s u e s s e l e c t e d a s b o t h u r g e n t and a p p r o p r i a t e f o r IIASA, b r i e f d e s c r i p t i o n s o f r e s e a r c h t a s k s w e r e p r e p a r e d a s a s t a r t i n g p o i n t f o r f u t u r e r e s e a r c h programs.

A ~ ~ l i c a t i o n o f R e s u l t s

Given t h e l i m i t e d r e s o u r c e s i n t e r m s o f f u n d s and s t a f f , o r g a n i z a t i o n s c o n c e r n e d w i t h i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a exchange must s e l e c t t h e most c r u c i a l a r e a s f o r t h e i r d i r e c t a t t e n t i o n . By u s i n g t h e t e c h n i q u e s o f a n e x p e r t p a n e l and a l i s t o f c r i t i c a l r e s e a r c h i s s u e s g e n e r a t e d and e v a l u a t e d by t h a t p a n e l , t h e a u t h o r s p r e p a r e d t h i s document which s h o u l d be u s e f u l t o

r e s e a r c h e r s and e s p e c i a l l y t o d e c i s i o n makers a l l o c a t i n g f u n d s f o r r e s e a r c h r e l a t e d t o i n f o r m a t i c s and exchange o f d a t a on an i n t e r n a t i o n a l l e v e l . I t would a l s o be u s e f u l t o IIASA's own u s e f o r p l a n n i n g and d e v e l o p i n g f u t u r e r e s e a r c h a c t i v i t i e s i n t h e i n f o r m a t i c s a r e a .

P a r t i c i p a n t r e s p o n s e r e g a r d i n g t h e methodology u s e d ( s e e Appendix C ) i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e a p p r o a c h c o u l d b e u s e f u l a l s o f o r o t h e r p l a n n i n g a c t i v i t i e s a t IIASA.

11. C R I T I C A L RESEARCH NEEDS

R e s e a r c h A r e a s : A Long-Term P e r s p e c t i v e

Any a t t e m p t to p r o v i d e i n p u t t o d e c i s i o n m a k e r s o n t h e p r i - o r i t i e s f o r r e s e a r c h m u s t t a k e i n t o a c c o u n t t h e s p e c i f i c p r e s s u r e s a n d p e r s p e c t i v e o f t h o s e d e c i s i o n m a k e r s . When i n t e r n a t i o n a l i s - s u e s a r e i n v o l v e d , t h e d e c i s i o n m a k e r s a r e o f t e n o p e r a t i n g w i t h i n d i f f e r e n t s o c i a l a n d p o l i t i c a l f r a m e w o r k s . I n t h e p a s t , IIASA h a s d e f i n e d i t s own p e r s p e c t i v e i n t e r m s o f t w o t y p e s o f r e s e a r c h : g l o b a l and u n i v e r s a l .

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G l o b a l p r o b l e m s c a n n o t be r e s o l v e d w i t h - o u t j o i n t a c t i o n o f s e v e r a l n a t i o n s , w h i l e u n i v e r s a l p r o b l e m s c a n b e r e s o l v e d by i n d i v i d u a l n a t i o n s b u t t h e s o l u t i o n s may b e

s h a r e d by a l m o s t a l l n a t i o n s . T h i s d i s t i n c t i o n i s i m p o r t a n t i n c o n s i d e r i n g t h e r e s e a r c h n e e d s i n t h e area o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e , a n d p a r t i c u l a r l y i n c o n s i d e r i n g t h e a p p r o p r i a t e r e s e a r c h r o l e f o r IIASA i n t h i s a r e a i n t h e f u t u r e .

The e x p e r t p a n e l c o n v e n e d i n T o r o n t o was a s k e d t o a d d r e s s re- s e a r c h i s s u e s a n d a r e a s i n i t i a l l y i r r e s p e c t i v e o f t h e IIASA p e r - s p e c t i v e . Only a f t e r a w i d e s p e c t r u m o f areas a n d i s s u e s w e r e i d e n t i f i e d was t h e IIASA " f i l t e r " a p p l i e d .

A t t h e b r o a d e s t l e v e l , t h e p a n e l s u g g e s t e d f i v e m a j o r c a t e - g o r i e s o r r e s e a r c h a r e a s which were a p p r o p r i a t e t o i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e . I n t h e f o l l o w - u p p h a s e , t h e p a n e l w a s a s k e d t o a l - l o c a t e a c r o s s t h o s e f i v e a r e a s 1 0 0 p o i n t s a s i f t h e y w e r e a l l o c a t - i n g r e s e a r c h r e s o u r c e s o v e r a n e x t e n d e d p e r i o d o f t i m e (more t h a n f i v e y e a r s ) . T h i s e x e r c i s e r e p r e s e n t e d t h e i r e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e r e s e a r c h p r i o r i t i e s w i t h i n a l o n g - t e r m p e r s p e c t i v e , a n d t h e r e s u l t s a r e p r e s e n t e d i n T a b l e 1 .

C l e a r l y economic f a c t o r s a n d u s e r n e e d s a p p e a r a s t h e m a j o r l o n g - t e r m c o n s i d e r a t i o n s w i . t h n a t i o n a l / i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o n f l i c t and c o m p e t i t i o n , p r i v a c y a n d s e c u r i t y f a c t o r s , and. u s e r t r a i n i n g p l a y - i n g l e s s e r r o l e s on t h e r e s e a r c h a c t i v i t i e s .

+ S e e a d d r e s s by R. E . L e v i e n , d i r e c t o r o f IIASA, t i t l e d

" A p p l y i n g S y s t e m s A n a l y s i s i n a n I n t e r n a t i o n a l S e t t i n g " , d a t e d May, 1 9 7 6 .

Table 1. Results of Panel Allocation of Research Effort Across

---

, , ..JEive, i -' G,eneral.Areas . . in International Data Exchange

, - _{'? *}

AREA Allocation out of Total

of 100 Points*

User Identification and

Needs Analysis 25

User Training for Data Use

Economic Factors (including who will own data; po- tential for manipulation of data for economic ends; and impacts on iobs, balance of pay- ments, and information

infrastructure, for ex- ample)

Privacy and Security Factors Competition and Conflict Na- tionally and Internati- onally (including poli- tics, culture, ideology, and economics, for ex- ample)

*

Average values across 16 respondents, rounded.

Critical Research Issues: Near-Term Needs

The panel was also asked to rate the specific research issues they had established during the workshop process. The first rat- ing was according to the urgency with which these issues should be addressed. This rating was to be independent of whether the issues were appropriate for IIASA and thus could be used by other organi- zations as well in planning their research programs.

The most urgent of these issues are presented in Table 2.

The selection procedure is described in detail in Appendix D but was basically a process of screening according to average weights assigned by the panel using a five-pointweightingscale. The levels of urgency are approximately of equal interval with the exception of the first level which might be labelled "nuch more urgent" in comparison to the remaining 10 issues. All issues in this table were weighted on the average at least above moderately urgent.

Research Issues for IIASA

Selecting from this set of issues those that were also con- sidered most appropriate for IIASA research tasks and reordering the set by appropriateness provides the listing appearing in Table 3. Note that there is considerable difference in the ordering of the issues at the top end of both scales although the sets of is- sues are nearly identical. The single issue that is rated both quite high on the urgency scale and is very appropriate for IIASA to address is:

"Identification of the major barriers to exchange programs (in terms of magnitude of the barrier and also type of exchange activities affected)".

The development of this issue into a more fully defined task des- cription is presented in the next chapter.along with a second task judged most appropriate for IIASA which was:

"Study of organizational structures most appropriate for international data exchange programs and determi- nation of application dependency of these structures".

R e s e a r c h I s s u e s f o r O t h e r O r g a n i z a t i o n s

While m o s t o f t h e u r g e n t r e s e a r c h i s s u e s w e r e a l s o con- s i d e r e d a p p r o p r i a t e f o r IIASA by t h e p a n e l , t h e r e w e r e some t h a t r a n k e d h i g h i n u r g e n c y b u t d i d n o t r a n k c o m m e n s u r a t e l y h i g h i n a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s f o r IIASA. T h e s e i s s u e s a r e p r e s e n t e d h e r e a s p o t e n t i a l a r e a s o f r e s e a r c h f o r o t h e r o r g a n i z a t i o n s which may b e more a p p r o p r i a t e f o r h o u s i n g s u c h s t u d i e s . T h e r e w e r e t h r e e s u c h i s s u e s :

" S t u d y o f how d e v e l o p i n g c o u n t r i e s d o now a n d / o r c a n i n t h e f u t u r e t a k e a d v a n t a g e o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e " .

" S t u d y o f methods u s e d by d e v e l o p i n g c o u n t r i e s i n a c q u i r i n g a n d u s i n g d a t a ( w i t h a f o c u s on f u t u r e t e c h n i q u e s 1 "

.

" I d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f t h e u s e r s o f d a t a i n e x c h a n g e p r o - grams a n d d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f how t h e i r n e e d s c a n b e s t b e i d e n t i f i e d a n d t r a n s l a t e d i n t o a u s e f u l s e r v i c e " .

The f i r s t two i s s u e s a r e o r i e n t e d t o w a r d d e v e l o p i n g - c o u n t r y n e e d s w h i c h p r e s u m a b l y i s t h e r e a s o n w h y t h e y r a n k e d l o w i n a p p r o p r i a t e - n e s s f o r IIASA. U s e r - n e e d s a n a l y s i s i s , l i k e w i s e , m o r e a p p r o p r i a t e f o r o r g a n i z a t i o n s i n t e n t o n m o u n t i n g a s p e c i f i c d a t a e x c h a n g e program r a t h e r t h a n b e i n g c o n d u c t e d a s a g e n e r a l n e e d s a n a l y s i s . A r e v i e w o f t h e u r g e n c y r a t i n g s f o r o t h e r i s s u e s i n ~ p p e n d i x C may s u g g e s t o t h e r s t u d i e s w h i c h i n t e r e s t e d o r g a n i z a t i o n s a t t h e n a t i o n a l , re- g i o n a l o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l l e v e l my w i s h t o u n d e r t a k e .

Table --- 2. Most Urgent Research Issues in International Data Ex- change According to Expert Panel Ratings

First Priority

*

I

Identification of the major barriers to exchange programs (in terms of magnitude o f the barrier and also type of exchange activities affected).

I Second Priority

Identification of the common national problems in data communications which relate to successful in- ternational data exchange activities.

Study of how developing countries do now and/or can in the future take advantage of international exchange activities. '

Third Priority

Study of the reasons for success or failure of the organizations already working in the area of international data exchange and identifica- tion of the roots of the successes or failures.

Identification of what international communication and information services are now available and eva- luation of their effectiveness.

Fourth Priority

Evaluation of need for data exchange programs to be imbedded within larger programs of technology transfer in order to survive.

Study of methods used by developing countries in acquiring and using data (with a focus on future techniques).

Identification of the users of data in exchange programs and determination of how their needs can best be identified and translated into a useful service.

*

Priority levels indicate issues of equal priority. Issues receiving equal weights in the panel rating were placed at the same level. The selection procedure is described in detail in Appendix D.

T a b l e 2 c o n t . ^{- 1 0 -}

F i f t h P r i o r i t y

D e t e r m i n a t i o n of which d a t a s e t s a r e now b e s t o r - g a n i z e d a n d how t h e y a r e m o s t e a s i l y a c c e s s e d . S t u d y of why p a s t e f f o r t s a t d a t a e x c h a n g e h a v e f a i l e d o r s u c c e e d e d a n d d e v e l o p m e n t o f t e c h - n i q u e s f o r i d e n t i f y i n g t h e s e f a c t o r s ( d i f f e r e n t f r o m t h i r d p r i o r i t y i s s u e i n t h i s r e s p e c t ) .

S t u d y of o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s t r u c t u r e s most a p p r o p r i a t e f o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e p r o g r a m s a n d d e t e r - m i n a t i o n o f a p p l i c a t i o n d e p e n d e n c y o f t h e s e s t r u c - t u r e s .

Table --- 3. Most Appropriate Issues for IIASA Research From the Set of Previously Selected Urgent Issues (Ordered by Appro-

~riateness for IIASA Research)

First Level

*

Study of organizational structures most appropriate for international data exchange programs and deter- mination of application dependency of these struc- tures.

Second Level

Identification of the major barriers to exchange

1 programs (in terms of magnitude of the barrier and also type of exchange activities impacted).

Third Level

Determination of which data sets are now best organized and how they are most easily accessed.

Evaluation of need for data exchange programs to be imbedded within larger programs of technology transfer in order to survive.

Identification of the common national problems in data communications which relate to successful international data exchange activities.

Study of the reasons for success or failure of or- ganizations already working in the area of inter- national data exchange and identification of the roots of the success or failures.

Fourth Level

Study of why past efforts at data exchange have failed or succeeded and development of techniques for iden- tifying these factors.

Identification of what international communication and information services are now available and evaluation of their effectiveness.

*

These levels are of equal interval and represent sets of issues given equal weights on the appropriateness scale. The selection procedure is described in Appendix D.

Table

---

4. Comparison of Panel Weights for General Research Areas and Ratings for Specific Research Issues Classified by Area

*

Issues assigned to each area are shown in parentheses in Research Area Column

* *

Insufficient data for evaluation

*

No. of Related Issues 6 6 7 1 11 Average Issue Urgency Rating (5 is highest) 3.4 2.9 2.8

** - -

3.3

RESARCH AREA USER ANALYSIS (14,16,17,20,21,29) USER TRAINING (1,7,25,27,29,31) ECONOMIC FACTORS (2,5,6,11,12,24,26) PRIVACY AND SECURITY (9) COMPETITION AND CONFLICT (3,4,8,10,13,15,18,19,22,23,30) Average Issue Appropriateness for IIASA (5 is highest) 3.4 3.1 2.8

* *

-- 3 -4

Area Weight (out of lW Points) 2 5 12 2 7 16 20

G e n e r a l R e s e a r c h A r e a s V e r s u s S p e c i f i c R e s e a r c h I s s u e s

T h e g e n e r a l a r e a s o f r e s e a r c h i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e shown i n T a b l e 1 a r e r e l a t e d t o t h e s p e c i f i c i s s u e s l i s t e d i n A p p e n d i x C i n t h a t e a c h i s s u e c a n b e a s s i g n e d t o o n e o f t h e c a - t e g o r i e s . S i n c e t h e r e was no i n t e n t t o d e v e l o p t h e i s s u e s a p r i o r i a s s u b c o m p o n e n t s o f t h e g e n e r a l a r e a s and s i n c e t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n a r e a s a n d i s s u e s was n o t made e x p l i c i t a t t h e t i m e t h a t r a t i n g was d o n e , t h e r e s u l t s o f t h e r a t i n g e f f o r t s s h o u l d p r o v i d e a f o r m o f c o n s i s t e n c y c h e c k .

The number o f i s s u e s p e r c a t e g o r y i s n o t u n i f o r m ( e . g . p r i v a c y a n d S e c u r i t y h a s o n l y o n e d i r e c t l y r e l a t e d i s s u e

-

# 99) a n d t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p o r l a c k t h e r e o f b e t w e e n a r e a w e i g h t s a n d i s s u e r a t i n g s c a n b e i n t e r p r e t e d i n s e v e r a l ways. I n s p i t e o f t h i s , it i s u s e f u l t o compare t h e outcome o f t h e two p a r a l l e l r a t i n g e x e r c i s e s by t h e same p a n e l o f j u d g e s .

A s u m m a r y o f t h i s c o m p a r i s o n i s s h o w n i n T a b l e 4 . The U s e r Ana- l y s i s c a t e g o r y r e p r e s e n t s a n i n t e r e s t i n g a r e a o f e v a l u a t i o n b e c a u s e t t h e m o s t e x p l i c i t s t a t e m e n t o f t h i s a r e a a p p e a r s i n I s s u e 2 0 , w h i c h r a t e d r e l a t i v e l y low on t h e a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s s c a l e f o r IIASA, a s d i d I s s u e s 16 a n d 1 7 , y e t t h e a r e a i n g e n e r a l r a t e d r a T a t i v e l y h i g h e r , The two i s s u e s i n t h i s a r e a s e e n a s m o s t a p p r o p r i a t e f o r IIASA

r e l a t e d t o i n f o r m a t i o n c o l l e c t i o n a n d d i s s e m i n a t i o n m e t h o d s ( I s s u e s 14 a n d 2 9 ) . T h e r e f o r e , IIASA would seem t o h a v e a r o l e i n t h e a r e a o f m e t h o d o l o g y e v a l u a t i o n r a t h e r t h a n a c t u a l l y d o i n g u s e r n e e d s a n a l y s i s . I n t h e a r e a o f c o m p e t i t i o n a n d c o n f l i c t IIASA c l e a r l y h a s a s i g n i f i c a n t r o l e t o p l a y , w i t h I s s u e s 22 i n p a r t i c u l a r r e q u i r - i n g a t t e n t i o n ( i . e . b a r r i e r i d e n t i f i c a t i o n ) .

I n t h e c a s e of P r i v a c y a n d S e c u r i t y , a d d i t i o n a l i s s u e s n e e d t o b e e v a l u a t e d . A l s o , a l t h o u g h E c o n o n i c F a c t o r s r a t e d h i g h i n t h e l o n g - t e r m n e e d f o r a t t e n t i o n , t h e r o l e o f IIASA i s c l e a r o n l y w i t h r e s p e c t t o o n e i s s u e (#- 6

-

r e l a t e d t o o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s t r u c t u r e s e s s e n t i a l f o r s u r v i v a l ) . T h e s e r e s u l t s s u g g e s t t h a t a d d i t i o n a l i s s u e s c o u l d b e e v a l u a t e d f o r f u t u r e p l a n n i n g o f I I A S A ' s r e s e a r c h d i r e c t i o n s a s w e l l a s t h o s e o f o t h e r o r g a n i z a t i o n s w i s h i n g t o ad- d r e s s c r i t i c a l i s s u e s i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e . I n a d d i t i o n , some o f t h e i s s u e s s u g g e s t e d l a t e i n t h e p r o c e s s o f i s s u e r a t i n g

(see Appendix C ) should be circulated for rating by the entire panel. While there is considerable room for more evaluation, the results of the ratings by the panel on both Areas and Issues provide a clear suggestion of research activities for both IIASA and other interested organizations.

111. SPECIFIC 3ESEARCH PROPOSALS FOR CRITICAL ISSUES OF HIGH URGENCY

For those issues found most urgent, but not necessa1:ily appropriate for IIASA to undertake, we encourage the generation of research plans by other organizations. But for those is- sues most urgent and appropriate for IIASA, this section will present initial outlines of potential research activities.

Two issues have been selected for evaluation. The first, bar- rier identification, rankedhigh on the IIASA appropriateness scale and was by far the highest-ranking issue in terms of urgency. The second, appropriate organizational structures for international data exchange, was highest in terms of IIASA appropriateness and also ranked high in terms of urgency.

Techniques for Barrier Evaluation

"Identification of the major barriers to exchange programs (in terns of magnitude of the barrier and also type of exchange activities impacted)."

In order to transform this critical research issue into an operational plan for an IIASA research task, the problem of data collection must be addressed. Seldom are failures in any area well documented. Likewise, successes often are viewed in retrospect from a much different perspective than during the course of their evolution. An excellent example of data collection and analysis approach in a similar area can be found in a recent study by Sweezy and Hopper

* .

^In

that research program 112 innovations in information tech- nology were evaluated to determine the major obstacles en- countered. The innovations which were successful represented about 10% of the total sample. Data collection was done via

*

Sweezy, Eldon E. and Hopper, Janice, H; "Obstacles to Innovation in the Scientific and Technical Information Ser- vices Industry", Final Report of the Institute of Public Ad- ninistration to the National Science Foundation, October, 1975.

open-ended interviews in which 46 innovators and managers were asked to describe fromtheir own experience past at- tempts at innovation. Rather then selecting the innovations a priori the interview subjectswere selected who provided -

on the average over two innovation case descriptions each.

An identical approach is suggested for IIASA in that in- dividuals representing a cross-section of NMO countries as well as representatives from international organizations

such as UNESCO, UNIDO, and the IAEA be selected to constitute a sample of no less than 6 0 individuals including three from each member country and nine from international organizations.

This represents a major interview process involving at least thirty person-days of effort for the interviews alone. The design of the interview guide should be quite straight-for- ward, but pretest on organizationslocated geographically close to IIASA is recommended. Figure 1 summarizes the approach described in these paragraphs.

Class of exchange program and types of barriers should bederived expost facto from the collected case-study data --- and further analysis done upon those categories. In this case, magnitude of the barrier is reflected by the number of attempted exchange programs blocked as well as the pervasiveness of the barrier (i.e., appearance across several classes of ex- change programs). An added dimension for evaluation should also be the socio-political environment of the exchange pro- gram initiations (i-e., international organization, western

country, eastern country) in order to identify barriers most prevalent for each environment.

The individual cases used in this evaluation should not be included in the final report of this study and the anony- mity of the source of specific cases should be protected.

While the emphasis of this study will be on data ex- change efforts that have been blocked, a baseline set of op- erational exchange efforts should also be evaluated. They, too, should provide information on barriers encountered (and some insight into how they were overcome). In addition, this portion of the data collection should include interviews with

F i g u r e

--

--- 1 : A p p r o a c h t o t h e S t u d y o f B a r r i e r s o f I n t e r n a t i o n a l D a t a Exchange P r o g r a m s

*

Users a n d o p e r a t o r s o f e x c h a n g e p r o g r a m s a n d i n t e r n a - t i o n a l a c t i v i t i e s w h e r e s u c h p r o g r a m s a r e i n i t i a t e d .

DESIGN OF CONTACT

>

^{INTERVIEW POTENTIAL}

* '<

L

J

GUIDE INTERVIEWEES

INSTRUMENT DESIGN

&

PRETEST OF INTERVIEW

GUIDE

PRETEST FINALIZE LIST

OF INTERVIEWEES AND

PLAN TRAVEL

I

^{i * 1 u}

- - -

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- - -

DATA

COLLECTION DATA

VIA COLLECTION

INTERVIEWS

I L I - . I

DATA ANALYSIS ANALYSIS OF

OF SUBSET OF

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c i FOR BASELINE

DATA

-

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ANALY S I S

t v

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BARRIERS ENVIRONMENT

-

^{- - - . - - - . -}

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DISSEMINATION

- ^--

PREPARATION OF

^.

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AND OPEN

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PRESENTAT ION OF RESULTS AT INTERNATIONAL

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users of these exchange activities as well as operators of them to evaluate the difference in perception with respect to the barriers encountered.

The study should require approximately eight calendar months to accomplish and should be funded to support the equivalent of one-person year plus travel involving at least one trip to the United States and Japan. The results of the study should be published in the open literature as well as through formal IIASA publication.

Study of Organizational Structures

"Study of organizational structures most appropriate for international data exchange programs and determi- nation of application dependency of these structures."

The evaluation of organizational structures should be undertaken from a broad viewpoint to provide an overall con- ceptual approach which can be useful to the implementers of exchange programs. The general d.esign for research in this area should include an evaluation of available literature in organizational research and design and a series of cass studies of successful exchange activities. (There is a clear opportunity for joint data collection in this and the previ- ously described study). These two major sources of informa- tionshould then lead to scenario development for hypothetical international data exchange programs. These scenarios should be oriented toward illustrating what, if any, influence the application has on the organizational structure. The sources of the case studies will also serve as an expert panel for review of the preliminary scenarios.

The general outline of this approach is illustrated in Figure 2. This diagram also illustrates the cyclic nature of the approach in that several rounds may be required to settle on satisfactory scenarios. The iterative nature of this approach lends itself well to interactive conferencing via computer (or face-to-face provided the participants can

Figure

-- ---

2. Approach to the Study of Organizational Structures for International Data Exchange Programs

LITERATURE REVIEW AND COLLECTION

OF PUBLISHED DATA

>-

FIELD INTERVIEWS FOR DATA COLLEC- TION AND CASE STUDY (EXPERT PANEL)

ANALYSIS

-

-

- -

,+ DATA

COLLECTION AND

V

- - -

DEVELOPMENT OF CASE STUDIES (N - > 6 )

-

-

t SYNTHESIS

AND SCENARIO DEVELOPMENT

3

SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS FOR SCENARIO DEVELOPMENT

V W

<-

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VARIABLES

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- - _ _

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- - -

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u

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PROMOTION OF SELECTED APPLICATIOL? FOIi INTER- YATIONAL DATA EXCHAIJGE

IIASA PUBLICATION OF

STUDY RESULTS

OPEN LITERATURE PUBLICATION OF SELECTED RESULTS

DISSEMI- NATION OF

RESULTS

m e e t s e v e r a l t i m e s d u r i n g t h e c o u r s e o f t h e s t u d y ) .

T h i s t a s k w i l l r e q u i r e a n e s t i m a t e d 1 8 c a l e n d a r months t o c o m p l e t e ( e x c l u s i v e o f p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e r e s u l t s ) a n d s h o u l d b e f u n d e d t o s u p p o r t a n e q u i v a l e n t o f t w o - p e r s o n y e a r s p l u s t r a v e l w i t h i n E u r o p e . I n a d d i t i o n , t h r e e w o r k s h o p s o f two d a y s e a c h w i t h n o more t h a n t w e l v e p a r t i c i p a n t s s h o u l d b e p l a n n e d . I n t h e e v e n t t h a t a d a t a c o m m u n i c a t i o n n e t w o r k

i s a v a i l a b l e a t l e a s t t w o o f t h e s e w o r k s h o p s c o u l d b e re- p l a c e d b y c o m p u t e r c o n f e r e n c e s . The r e s u l t s o f t h e s t u d y w i l l b e d i s s e m i n a t e d i n t h r e e ways: t h e i n f o r m a l p r o m o t i o n o f s p e c i f i c i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e a p p l i c a t i o n s v i a IIASA spokesmen, t h e p r e p a r a t i o n o f a n IIASA p u b l i c a t i o n p r e s e n t - i n g t h e c o m p l e t e r e s e a r c h p r o g r a m , a n d p u b l i c a t i o n i n t h e o p e n l i t e r a t u r e o f s e l e c t e d r e s u l t s .

I V . CONCLUDING REMARKS

T h i s p r o j e c t was i n i t i a t e d i n o r d e r t o i d e n t i f y r e s e a r c h a r e a s w i t h i n t h e b r o a d a r e n a of i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e which s h o u l d b e a d d r e s s e d i n t h e n e a r and l o n g t e r m . The p r o c e d u r e i n v o l v i n g a n e x p e r t p a n e l p r o v i d e d r e s u l t s which may n o t a g r e e w i t h t h e o p i n i o n s o f o t h e r e x p e r t s ( a n d may

n o t e v e n b e a g r e e a b l e t o t h e i n d i v i d u a l members o f o u r p a n e l ) . On t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e r e s u l t s do r e p r e s e n t a c o m p o s i t e v i e w o f r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s from s e v e r a l d i f f e r e n t d i s c i p l i n e s a n d n a t i o n a l / i n t e r n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t s .

The f i n d i n g s p r o v i d e some c l e a r d i r e c t i o n s f o r f u t u r e work. Two p o t e n t i a l s t u d i e s f o r IIASA h a v e b e e n o u t l i n e d i n t h e p r e v i o u s c h a p t e r . O t h e r p r o j e c t s w i l l u n d o u b t e d l y b e e s t a b l i s h e d a s a r e s u l t o f t h i s e v a l u a t i o n . I t i s i m p o r t a n t t o n o t e t h a t t h e l i s t of c r i t i c a l i s s u e s u s e d i n t h i s s t u d y i s by no means e x h a u s t i v e . A s i l l u s t r a t e d i n T a b l e 4 o f C h a p t e r 11, more i s s u e s n e e d t o b e e x p l o r e d i n t h e a r e a o f s e c u r i t y / p r i v a c y a n d i s s u e s o f g r e a t e r u r g e n c y may w e l l e x i s t w i t h r e s p e c t t o economic f a c t o r s .

I n a d d i t i o n , t h e s t u d y t e n d e d t o f o c u s o n n e a r t e r m n e e d s i n t h a t o v e r 60% o f t h e i s s u e s had a n a v e r a g e r a t i n g o f moder- a t e l y u r g e n t o r a b o v e . While it i s d i f f i c u l t t o i d e n t i f y s p e c i f i c l o n g - t e r m n e e d s , t h e r a t i n g of g e n e r a l a r e a s a s shown i n T a b l e 4 s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e s e a r e a s s h o u l d a l s o have a d d i t i o n a l i s s u e s o f a l o n g - t e r m n a t u r e .

A f u t u r e e f f o r t s h o u l d i n c l u d e a r a t i n r ~ o f i s s u e s a l o n g t h r e e d i m e n s i o n s : u r g e n c y , a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s , and l o n g - t e r m impor- t a n c e . T h i s would p r o v i d e a c l e a r e r i n d i c a t i o n o f g a p s i n c o v e r a g e o f t h e l i s t o f i s s u e s .

F i n a l l y , t h i s s t u d y s h o u l d b e viewed a s a s t a r t i n g p o i n t f o r r e s e a r c h e r s , s y s t e m i m p l e m e n t e r s , and p o l i c y m a k e r s con- c e r n e d w i t h i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e . The i s s u e s n o t con- s i d e r e d a p p r o p r i a t e f o r IIASA r e s e a r c h c o n t a i n many r i p e i d e a s f o r s t u d i ~ s on a n a t i o n a l o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l l e v e l . F o r s y s t e m i m p l e m e n t e r s , t h i s c a n s e r v e a s an i n i t i a l c h e c k l i s t f o r them

when c o n s i d e r i n g t h e d e s i g n o f a new d a t a s y s t e m w i t h a p p l i - c a t i o n s a t t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l l e v e l . And f i n a l l y , f o r t h e p o l i c y makers who h a v e a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o e s t a b l i s h , f u n d , a n d p r o m o t e s u c h s y s t e m s ( o r b l o c k a n d / o r impede t h e m ) t h i s e v a -

l u a t e d l i s t o f i s s u e s p r o v i d e s a s e r i e s o f c h a l l e n g e s . They c a n u s e t h i s l i s t t o t h e i r own e n d s . W e hope t h e y w i l l c h o o s e t o p r o m o t e i n t e r n a t i o n a l d a t a e x c h a n g e a n d u s e t h e l i s t con- s t r u c t i v e l y .

A P P E N D I X A P O S I T I O N P A P E R P R E P A R E D BY I I A S A P R I O R T O TORONTO WORKSHOP

POSITION PAPER

ON A STRUCTURED APPROACH FOR THE ANALYSIS OF PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

IN INTERNATIONAL DATA EXCHANGE

IIASA Workshop on International Data Exchange August 7, 1977

Royal York Hotel, T ~ r o n t o

Prepared by D. Penniman, A. E~~trirnenlco, and J. Page Computer Science Group

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Laxenburg, Austria

Table of Contents

PAGE

INTRODUCTION

...

^A-3

APPLICATION AREAS FOR INTERNATIONAL

DATA EXCHANGE

...

^A-4

INF'OF3lATICS TECHNOLOGY FOR INTERNATIONAL

DATA EXCHANGE

...

^A-9

MATCHING APPLICATION AREAS AND

TECHNOLOGIES

...

^A-10

BARRIERS TO THE APPLICATION OF NETWORKING

TO INTERNATIONAL DATA EXCHANGE

...

^A-13

CONCLUSION

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^A-15

A Structured Approach for the Analysis of Problems and Prospects

in International Data Exchange

Introduction

At a time when individual countries are still trying to clarify their policies on emerging national data communication and computer networks, there is a growing pressure to establish similar networks of an international scope. The prospects and uncertainties associated with these international networks are magnified by the dynamic nature of national networking policies as well as the unique problems of international ventures. The goal of the IIASA exploratory study of international data exchange is to clarify the critical issues associated with international networking as a mechanism to promote data exchange between nations.

This date exchange would be focused on major global and inter- national problems such as health care, food and agricultural resources and environmental monitoring. A more complete list of such problems appears later in this paper.

In order to evaluate the potential for networking as a mechanism for promoting international data exchange in areas of contemporary concern a systematic approach is required. This paper suggests an approach and identifies some of the issues involved. It is intended as a starting point only, and the

purpose of the IIASA Toronto Workshop is to clarify the critical issues and appropriate structure for issue assessment. The

phrase "critical issues" in this paper refers to problems which at this stage are unresolved and could be decisive in establishing successful data exchange activities. In many cases these

critical issues can be resolved through systematic research or analysis and of that subset there should be appropriate issues for IIASA to address. It is for this purpose that IIASA is conducting the exploratory study and workshop on international data exchange.

Much of this paper is taken from a report generated for

UNESCO by IIASA titled "Study of the Use of Informatics Technology on Problems of Scientific and Technological Cooperation."

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Application Areas for International Data Exchange

The application of informatics technology in the inter- national arena offers great promise. While individual appli- cations may not provide adequate justification for a major research effort, a combined set of international cooperative activities could form the nucleus for an international data exchange effort with a per unit cost that could be reasonable for many countries. The application areas itemized here should be viewed only as a partial selection. ~dditional areas need to be identified and evaluated in order to compound the cost re- ductions and increase the motivation for cooperative activities.

Clearly, for some applications (e.g. airline reservations, most financial transactions) private activities may prove satisfactory, but for most areas the need for a combined effort is a necessity.

Organizations already involved in selected aspects of inter- national data exchange are identified in Table 1 and brief

descriptions of potential application areas axe presented in the following paragraphs.

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Report prepared in 1 9 7 7 for the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization by the Computer Science Group with the participation of the Management and Tech- nology Area, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.